[R] Ready, Set, Spike! [Castille x Aitana] [FIN]

[Blue Eyed Melloon]

The gym started out empty. With the final bell echoing in the hallway outside, students started to leave. Then a louder echo flowed into the gym. The echo of voices coming down the hallway, laughing, talking, yelling even. Then it went quiet again, as if waiting for something to happen.

A few minutes later, the doors burst open as the fastest changers on the team rushed through the doors to prop them open. Then they ran back outside, talking loudly. A few moments later, girls struggled into the gym with bars that took two or three to carry. Another two pushed a large upright hanger that held carefully folded nets. Finally, two girls pushed trollys filled to the top with white and orange balls. They took their place up against the wall and began checking each ball, pressing their hands on the sides and deciding which ones needed to be filled with air.

The other girls got to work setting up the net. All the while chattering and laughing while the stragglers or extras started passing, warming up for practice.

Castille came in somewhere in the middle, after all the people needed were putting up the nets She dumped her jacket on the retracted bleachers, shaking the ipod buds out of ears and cutting Keith Urban short. She bounced a couple times, then bent to adjust her sock in her volleyball shoes. Today she sported practice spandex shorts in deep blue, and a grey shirt with "Meadowview volleyball" stamped on it with "Yeah, we are that awesome" in smaller letters underneath it. She pulled out her two buns and let her hair fall down to just above her shoulders, shaking it out while her friend Shea shouted "Shake it out giiiiiirl!" she laughed and pulled it into a tight ponytail, and got to work, taking a ball and setting it by her feet, stretching her arms out above her head while rolling her ankle from side to side.

The coaches had not arrived yet, so everything seemed relaxed.  

[Iris_virus]

-Aitana was a fairly controversial new member to the volleyball team. An exchange student from Brazil, drafted to the team not by tryout but seemingly as part of a condition of her school transfer. She was a strong player, easily within the top four or five players of the team. Her accent was strong, her bad mouthing almost laughable as she struggled to master the english putdown. She was enthusiastic but sometimes a little too rough.

Unsurprisingly she hadn't made too many good friends among the team yet. Not ones that extended outside the court and occassional wave in the hallway.

She'd arrived early, helping test the balls before finally making her way to the floor with the others to stretch. Aitana settled near Castille, bending her knees over and over before she went onto her ankles, warming up the joints.- "Hello" -She chirped in greeting.- "Do we play official today? Or one on one practice?" -It was possible the other girl didn't know, but that didn't stop her from assuming she did.-  

[Blue Eyed Melloon]

Castille looked to the green haired girl that approached her, and recognized her not by name, but as one of the transfer students that attended Meadowview. She didn't know where she was form, and the accent further confused Castille to her place of origin.

She paused a moment, letting the words run through her brain once or twice to make sure she got the meaning right, then said "Do you mean if we have a game, or team practices?" She asked, smiling to make sure the girl knew she wasn't trying to be rude. The sound of bouncing volleyballs echoed off the walls, and it was sometimes hard to hear.  

[Iris_virus]

-If she was offended she certainly didn't show it, her expression remaining the same as it had been before. As of yet noone had really made a big fuss about her accent, but even if they had it was a dumb thing to get upset about. Atleast to Aitana. There were far more important things in the world then what you sounded like.

Lifting an arm up above her head to stretch the shoulder, she shook her head a little, trying again.- "I know there is no real game today. But if we practice six and six or one and one is what I wonder." -It was fairly close to what the girl had dechipered in the first place, she should have just stated it better in the first place.-  

[Blue Eyed Melloon]

"Oh!" She said, blushing slightly, "I'm sorry. Uhm, I think we are playing one on one at first, until we warm up. Then I think we are going to six on six."

Castille studied the green haired girl, and said "Have I met you before? I feel like I haven't which is a problem if we are going to be on the same team together!" She smiled sweetly and offered her hand once she was done stretching her arms forward. "My name is Castille. Where are you from? Your accent is so cool!" Castille was very fond of accents and, while it was no Australian sounding voice, this girls was very pretty.  

[Iris_virus]

-She nodded softly to the answer, glancing around at the other girls of the team strewn around in various positions before her eyes returned to Castille.-

"Maybe not. I am still pretty new to this school." -It was good to know people by name, not just their number. Taking the offered hand she shook it firmly a few times offering her own name back.- "Aitana Ceu Matos"

The compliment brought a large and proud grin to her face as she plopped down onto the ground too, beginning to mirror the stretches the other girl had been doing.- "Thank you. I transfer from Brazil."

-The girl seemed pretty nice so Aitana didn't bother waiting, piping up mildly.- "You want to be my partner for one on one practice today?"  

[Blue Eyed Melloon]

"Oooohhhh Brazil!" She exclaimed, releasing Aitana's hand and bringing her arms in close. She bounced a couple times on the balls of her feet, saying "I've always wanted to go to Brazil! It's like, my third most wanted to visit country! What's it like there?"

She plopped down onto the ground as well, stretching out towards her toes in a kind of half hearted way. She was more interested now in this foreign girl and her equally foreign country than stretching. "Of coarse I'll be your partner today! She said, as she leaned forward to dodge a rogue set form one of the girls to her right. She trapped it against the bleachers to use in a few minutes with her new acquaintance.  

[Iris_virus]

Castille's enthusiastic response received an equally enthusiastic smile of pride from Aitana. She wasn't so sure about it being the 'third most wanted', where else would the girl possibly want to go? But whatever. "It is very warm, and the air is fresher there too."

"So much green everywhere and sounds of animals." Atleast that's what it was like where she lived. In the city it was more like Destiny City, but people came most often for either the Carnivale parties or the rainforests anyway.

Around them others were pairing up and some were already beginning to claim parts of the nets. Aitana seemed eager to as well, pretty much giving up on streching alltogether. "Great! You are very good?" She asked curiously.  

[Blue Eyed Melloon]

Castille's face brightened with the thoughts of sandy beaches and warm tropical climates. Maybe someday she would visit..maybe for Spring Break! She would have to pitch the idea to her father later in the week.

As the girls started lining up around the net, Castille jumped up, grabbing the ball she had claimed earlier.

"Am I good at volleyball?" She repeated, smiling at the Aitana. "As long as I'm not setting, I should be ok!" Setting was never her strong point, and she received more double touches than probably anyone else on the team because of it.

So the coach put her as the designated back row.

She stood on one side of the net, in between two other teams of girls and stood ready to chip it over the net at Aitana.  

[Iris_virus]

This girl sure repeated her a lot! It didn't dawn on Aitana that it might have been her fault it was happening, she simply grinned thinking it was a little funny.

"Setting is boring anyway" She mused softly to the girl's words. Sure it was an important skill for someone on the team to have, but Aitana was much more hands on and seemed to respect fellow hitters more so then the support. "Spiking something to ground or recovering a tough ball is much better to be better at"

Settling herself on the other side of the net, she reached her hands up, giving a mild wave to make it apparent she was ready whenever Castille was.  

[Blue Eyed Melloon]

"I agree." She said, raising the ball up and tossing it carefully into the air. She brought her hand up and jumped a little, hitting the ball with the heel of her palm. It rose back into the air and glided over the net, spinning forward quickly.

"So why did you come to America from Brazil?" She said a little louder, making sure she could hear her over their teammates calling for the ball. "Brazil seems like ti would be the place to move TO, not away from."  

[Iris_virus]

Uhhhh...

The question startled her. Enough so that she hardly noticed the ball flying at her, spotting it late enough that her return was incredibly ungraceful, having to lean in far more than she should have for a simple pass and return. She couldn't indulge the real reason behind it. Both as to not sound like a nut job and also because it was sensitive information.

Oh I came because I'm one of the guardians of the tiny princess of the moon and I was awakened by a cat and told to come find her here. Yeah.. that wasn't really going to cut it. And though she'd been asked the question at least once or twice before, she'd never come up with a good fall back answer. The ball, recovered, sailed easily and smoothly over the net, it would be an easy target to hit as her voice called back in reply.

"Ahhh, my parents decided. Said it would be good for me to get out of the jungle and get some real world experience."

"It's only a few years, and then I will go back"  

[Blue Eyed Melloon]

Castille took a couple steps backwards to get behind the ball. It was a perfect return, she could work with it. She brought her arms together and passed it back, smiling.

"World experience huh? That makes sense. Don't want to stay somewhere forever." Castille had always wanted to travel, but being only 15, her parents weren't too keen on letting their daughter traverse the world quite yet.

"I think I'll start travelling in college." She said, catching someone else's ball that went askew and handing it back before readying for the return. "Do some study abroad."  

[Iris_virus]

She was a little more on her game this time as the ball came back, and she slipped forward hitting her wrists at an angle that would pull the ball closer toward the net. Perhaps she could make Castille run a little for it. Who cared if it was supposed to be friendly practice. You didn't really get better unless you were challeneged after all!

"That could be fun, yes. I have liked seeing all the new things here. It would be nice to go other places and see for a bit. Not as long though. Just little visits."  

[Blue Eyed Melloon]

Castille was a little caught off guard by the balls sudden drop toward the net. She thrust her right arm out to try and catch it, but instead of going straight up like it was supposed to, it bounced into the net, falling to the ground next to her.

She smiled wickedly, picking up the ball. So thats how it was gonna be. She tossed the ball in the air, passing it while stepping backward to give it back spin. It flew close to the net, then dropped, similar to how the ball fell before.

"So how long are you here for?"